Pope Francis in Fool’s Paradise or Making Political Gimmicks?

Pope Francis is undertaking a 4-nation tour starting from Indonesia in September 2024 that will incorporate Papua New Guinea, Singapore and Timor-Leste - the only one of the four countries that is predominantly Catholic. This is the third papal visit to Indonesia, following visits by Popes in 1970 and 1989. The objective of the present tour may be his another attempt possibly to prevent ongoing disappearance and genocide of Christians from this Islamic nation although he has claimed it to fetch interfaith harmony. Earlier he had paid visit to Iraq and some other nations too that had witnessed mass genocides of the Christians. His delusions of weaving an interfaith harmony with Islam is well known, being used as a pawn in the game of religious fundamentalism of Islam (read “Was he used as pawn?” https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2019/02/05/pope-francis-just-made-history-by-visiting-arabian-peninsula-was-he-pawn/). His visit to Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste is purely to encourage the conversion game of Evangelism by regional clerics.

Having taken over the reign of Christianity in 2013 from Pope Benedict VI, he has seen many mass persecutions and genocides of Christians in many parts of the world. Both him and his predecessors have remained indifferent to the many woes Christians are facing. In many instances, the common Christians felt dis-illusioned and started getting atheists or started worshipping other forms of Gods except Islam which many of them realise to be hateful and intolerant. It is true that Christians in Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia have been undergoing worst forms of persecutions by the Islamists, amounting almost to genocides. However, consecutive Popes have ben indifferent to it. It may be recalled that Pope Benedict VI in his famous Regensburg University speech had quoted the opinion of Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, "Show me just what Muhammad (whom Muslims call a prophet) brought that was new. You will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread Islam by the sword, the faith he preached". Despite being truth, it created a furore in the Islamic nations. In the ensuing months, he had to amend his words under tremendous pressure of both European and Islamic leaders.

Pope Benedict in his last few years, had seen mass murders, persecutions of Christians in some of the Islamic nations that still had some Christians left. This mostly included the Middle East nations where the Jeremy Hunt Commissions found that persecution of the Christians had amounted to Genocide yet both outgoing and incoming Popes had remained indifferent (read “Persecution of Christians in the Middle East amounting to near Genocide”,. They didn’t even refer the issue to the UN/UNHRC. Both these Popes had also observed the near complete genocide of the Christians in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is worthy to note that no Christian clerics were involved in any nefarious activities of conversions in the above states, yet they chose to remain mum. Christians in Africa have been persistently undergoing severe persecutions be it CAR, Sahel, Nigeria, Somalia or somewhere else. The Popes have been also indifferent to the severe persecutions of Christians and desecration of their Catholic monuments in Kosovo-Serbia, Turkey and Lebanon in the recent years, watching mutely all these happenings.

Christianity is being attacked on multiple fronts in the recent years and decades with no credible actions being taken to prevent it. Besides the genocides in Middle East and other Asian nations, Chechens have frequently attacked Christian children in the heart of Russia (read “Islamic Cancer Spreading in Russia”, https://thecounterviews.in/articles/islamic-cancer-spreading-in-russia/). In India too, Christian missionaries have been under frequent threats and attacks BUT for the reasons of indulging in conversions of Hindus on allurement. However, none of the Popes have ever advised them of restraint from indulgence. Christianity had officially been forbidden in China but after atheist CCP had allowed some level of religious affiliations, Catholics did proliferate. Further, after 2018 negotiations, Vatican was permitted to have some limited say in the appointment of the Catholic clerics/cardinals. As far as Indonesia is concerned, baring exceptions, the administration has been reasonably permissive and tolerant in this Muslim majority State. Many Indonesian Muslims still regard ‘Ramayan’ as their holy book/belief/practices saying they have only changed their religion not the ancestors. However, hardline Islamic Defender Front (IDF) has been spreading its wings of Islamic radicalism. They had overthrown their elected Christian Governor Ahok by shear mob protest saying, ‘a Christian kaffir Governor cannot rule Muslim majority Jakarta’. This of course, is in sharp contrast to how Christian majority London accepted Sadiq Khan as Mayor. Hate and intolerance is in Islamist’s DNA. Undoubtedly, Islamic Indonesia too will change on the lines of radical Afghanistan/Pakistan/Bangladesh. 

Coming back to the papal visits, if Pope Francis believes that he will be able to foster an interfaith harmony with Islam, it must be said without any shred of doubt that he is living in fool’s paradise. Leaving exceptions, most of the Islamic clerics in the modern times are highly radical in most of the non-Islamic nations. In fact, a survey in France revealed that Muslims in the nation preferred highly radical preachers from radicalized States such as Pakistan, Qatar, Iraq, Malaysia and so on. Mosques in non-Islamic nations are largely becoming a center for hatred, violence and anti-national activities. In late August 2024, a very old and famous mosque of Moghul times in Prayagraj (India), was found to have stored firearms, print Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) and conspire against the Hindu majority. By and large, same is the state of most of the mosques in most of the non-Islamic nations in their Muslim dominant localities (read “Mosques: A Symbol of Interfaith Hate & Intolerance”, https://thecounterviews.in/articles/mosques-a-symbol-of-interfaith-hate-and-intolerance/). Most anti-national and anti-majority hate & violence activities are carried out either from or thru’ the mosques in several European nations too…be it Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and so on that made them indulge in burning of Quran (read “Quran Burning in Sweden & Denmark is Wrong Approach”, https://thecounterviews.in/articles/quran-burning-in-denmark-and-sweden-is-wrong-approach/).

The present-day Islam is both preaching & practicing the hate & intolerant elements of Quran to the fullest. There are nearly 200-odd Jihadi organisations in the world bearing allegiance to Quran, grossly abusing Human Rights (read “Gross Human Rights Abuses by Jihadists”, https://thecounterviews.in/articles/gross-human-rights-abuses-by-jihadists/). Most of them are actively pursuing violence among non-Muslims, whom they call Kaffirs. This ideology has especially caught rapid pace after the call of Global Islamic Caliphate by ISIS Islamic cleric Al-Baghdadi. The author renders apology for using a harsh word to equate Islam with a disease called Cancer (read “Islamic Cancer Corroding Europe and the Whole World”, https://thecounterviews.in/articles/islamic-cancer-corroding-europe-and-the-world/). This cancer in medieval times had engulfed Arabian States causing genocides of several dozens of Arabian Tribes. In medieval period it committed genocides of Parsis, Christians and Hindus. Now in 21 century, it is again causing genocides and strangely enough, the UN, UNSC and the UNHRC have closed their eyes to it (read “Muted UNHRC Response Encouraging Islamic Genocides”, https://thecounterviews.in/articles/muted-unhrc-response-encouraging-islamic-genocide/).

What Pope Francis intends to achieve is irrelevant BUT how unease of the world non-Muslims against radical Islam is growing, cannot be judged under apparently calm waters. The examples of such nations are numerous; be it Sweden, Denmark, England, France, Germany, India or elsewhere. Burning of Quran in Sweden/Denmark is only one of its manifestations. Islamic political leaders of modern times have acquired proficiency in double speak and double acts in which they vow to fight Islamic Terrorism and at the same time, provide ‘state support’ to the 200-odd Jihadi organisations indulging in gross Human Rights violations against non-Muslims. Non-Muslims are fast disappearing from Islamic nations due to severe persecution. It is another matter though that those Jihadi organisations often engage in violence with other sects of Islam itself. Most people who practice Quran, will be inimical to non-Muslims. Pope Benedict VI having spoken the reality of Islam, bowed under pressure of the pseudo-secular nations of Europe. Pope Francis has apparently closed his eyes from the realities of Radical Islam in the terminal part of his life, living in Fool’s Paradise.

World-Christians facing Islamic terrorism and persecutions are not convinced with Pope’s present political stunts with radical Islam. As long as Quran exists in its current form, extremist and terrorist organisations will continue growing from it esp to commit Jihad against non-Muslims. There is an urgent role of UNHRC to form a team of religious scholars that must (include non-Muslim experts as well) to review Quran of its hate-intolerant contents against non-Muslims. Those 60-odd verses of Quran must be either removed or amended to prevent inimical actions against non-Muslims. Unless that happens, it is futile to think of any meaningful cordial relation of Islam with any other religions/faiths. Undoubtedly, Pope Francis is either living in Fool’s paradise or indulging in politico-religious gimmicks.